Breitung sets officials salaries

November 13, 2012

QUINNESEC - The Breitung Township Board of Trustees on Monday adopted salaries for their clerk, treasurer, trustees and supervisor.

The clerk and treasurer's salaries were set at $40,500.

Trustees salaries were set at $720 per year plus $45 per meeting, and $35 for committee meetings.

The supervisor's salary was set at $9,000.

All the salaries are effective Jan. 1, 2013.

In other action, trustees:

- Approved the training of a new deputy clerk. Clerk Samantha Coron's deputy Gretchen Peters gave her notice and will be done at the end of this month. She will help train the new deputy for three days. The new deputy is Sandy Linsmeyer of Quinnesec.

"It's sad to lose Gretchen, but I am excited to get Sandy going," Coron said.

- Appointed Superintendent Joe Rogina to take over the duties of assessor. This is after township assessor, Dawn Thurston, resigned as of Oct. 28. His salary will be adjusted to $75,000 and additional personal days will be added, effective Nov. 19.

- Approved the current deputy treasurer, Johanna Provost, to work 10 hours per week until Nov. 20. This is when the new treasurer, Carol Taylor, will take over the office. Trustees also approved registration, mileage, meals and a one-night stay for the township's deputy treasurer to attend the MTA treasurers class in Marquette.

- Approved not exceeding $2,500 for the township's flexible spending account, beginning Jan. 1, 2013. This is required to bring the township into compliance with the Affordable CAre Act that mandates employee salary reductions.

- Amended a resolution that approved in June to exempting Acuren Inspections from all new personal property taxes. The amendment details how they qualify and grants the exemption.

- Approved obtaining bids by the next board meeting on Nov. 26 for the demolition of a mobile home at 629 E. Breen St. Rogina said the home had a fire years ago and was never repaired. He added the property is beyond repair and deemed "uninhabitable." Cost of the demo would be put on the tax roll.

- Approved working with CUPPAD on a contract to review and update the township's zoning ordinance from Feb. 1, 2013 to Feb. 1, 2014 for $4,900. This is a budgeted items and includes the issue of decks and porches in a front yard, the setbacks for fences and lack of good definitions. Rogina said the current ordinance lacks any regulation of wind or solar energy, medical marijuana and many other land uses that could occur in the township.

- Approved a resolution to agree to an intergovernmental management on the National Flood Insurance Program.

In other news, it was reported that the township ISO rating for fire protection is 6 in East Kingsford and Quinnesec and 9 elsewhere in the township. This is because there are no fire hydrants in these locations.

Diana Miller of Breitung Township said her house insurance rate tripled because of the ISO rating in the northern portion of the township. Township officials said they will look into having that ISO rating revisited.

This is usually done every 10 years and has not been done in the township for at least 10 years.